PCOS and BF

Hi all.

I have PCOS and I know that this leads to low milk supply. With DS I wasn't armed with this knowledge and tried BF, he had beautiful attachment but because I had no milk the poor little guy would suck away for an hour and not get anything but blood. He also had jaundice so naturally needed to feed more than normal. At the week mark he had lost nearly 10% of his birth weight and I decided to bottle feed him.

I was racked with guilt at my decision to stop BF and bottle feed him! Every where I looked there were signs saying how normal and natural BF was. I felt like a failure as a mother because I couldn't do something that's been done for thousands of years. It took me about 4 weeks before I researched and discovered that I wasn't the failure it was my PCOS. My DS is nearly 2 now and has grown so beautifully and proved to me that formula feeding is just fine.

However, I am now 20 weeks pregnant with baby number two and would really like to try BF again. My question is, is there anyone else out there (with our without PCOS) that can relate to my story and give me any advice?? I remember being so upset and almost depressed over feeing time. I feel that because I know about the low milk supply I might be able to deal better with BF and not feeling guilty if I need to bottle feed.

Hey hun
i really feel for you & completely understand.

I had the same issues with DS, but he was also premmie & my first, so i had no idea about any of these things, cause they dont tell you . Would have been really helpful to know that information, so then maybe, just maybe people like us wouldnt feel so guilty..

anywho, on a positive note, with my DD, she was breast fed beautifully until she was 6 months old, when we had some other issues, so i had to put her on a prescription formula, but if it wasnt for those issues, i wouldve continued to breastfeed for as long as possible!

Keep positive & just give it a go, see what happens..

good luck to you

I have PCOS but I didnt know it caused low milk supply... You learn something new everyday!! smile DD was only BF until 3 months(ish) when she had to go on to Formula for Reflux & I was devastated!! So its not the same situation but I do understand how you are feeling!! I think from reading other threads on here that there are medications & Herbal things that can help milk supply.. They might be an option if you need them smile

sometimes its so frustrating because its constantly jammed down our throats that its the most natural thing in the world, your supply will always meet ur demand, doesnt matter the size of ur breasts or nipple shape blah blah blah... but the truth is these things can all have a huge impact on being able to successfully BF.

i have pcos plus i also have underdeveloped breasts with very minimal breaast tissue so i struggle with supply. i was always told it doesnt matter the size of my breasts they will produce enough and so i wasnt prepared and like u my son had jaundice so needed be FF from day 2. i was behind before i even started. this time i plan to put bub on the breast every second i get the chance.... i will look into the natural supplement fenergreek as its meant to be good for supply building, i also bought a medela swing as its a really good automatic breast pump and i plan to pump each side after every feed, if all of that fails i will go see my gp about going on the medication motilium as it is said to help milk supply aswell.

since you are aware of the issue it makes things alot easier, u have to make sure u stay informed and use all ur resources ( MCHN, midwives, gp and the breast feeding assosiation) but above all dont put too much pressure on urself becomes sometimes it just doesnt work and formula feeding ur baby doent mean ur a failure or they are any less loved.

all the best!!

I too have PCOS. One thing to keep in mind (particularly for anyone else with PCOS reading this) is that PCOS does not necessarily lead to low milk supply, essentially PCOS mucks around with your hormones and can effect you milk supply either increasing or decreasing it. Some will experience no difference at all and in spite of your first experience, you may have no trouble with supply this time. Although we had a pretty awful start, after the first few weeks I actually ended up with an oversupply which didn't settle down until DD was about 8 months.

We had a horror experience for the first week (it did improve significantly after that), DD lost about 17% of her birth weight by day three and when pumping after every feed and topping up with EBM wasn't enough to stop further weight loss & worsening jaundice, we had to top up with formula after the EBM top ups. My milk started to come in on day 3/4 and I was able to drop back to just EBM top ups over the next couple of days. This still meant I spent all almost day (and night) feeding, pumping, cleaning/sterilising and bottle feeding but it was a serious victory at the time. We weaned off the EBM top ups over the following days and were soon just BF. From that point we just had the normal issues of pain (due to vasospasm in our case), but that was sorted by the time DD was six weeks. DD is now 14 months and is still breastfeeding. We had the support of a great lactation consultant and I think that made all the difference for us.

Your story made me consider if it wasn't just low supply, but that your milk hadn't come in yet/at all? Sometime milk doesn't come in until day 7 or even later, more commonly where it was a particularly traumatic birth, preemie birth or a c-section, I'm sure the crazy hormones that come with PCOS could play a part as well. I don't know if this is what happened in your case, but if it was there are lots of strategies you can try for this as well as low supply.

I think the most important thing is seeking support from a lactation consultant (IBCLC certified) or ABA councilors if you are in Australia (I personally found MCHN and doctors beyond useless but it will depend on the ones near you). If you seek help before your bubs is born you can work through what happened with your first and what strategies you can use (with their continued support) post birth to maximise your chances of success.

At the end of the day there is nothing you can do which will grantee success, all you can do is maximise your chances and know you did your best whatever the outcome. You already know from your DS you will be a great Mummy to your new bub however they are fed.

Best of luck for a happy & healthy pregnancy & baby!

Im glad I saw this thread!

I have pcos and know a few who have it too. Im totally on board with lilgems comments.

While I know pcos can be very hard for some women to deal with I think some tend to dramatize it a bit. NOT SAYING ANYONE ON HERE IS. But I think it sometimes becomes an easy go to excuse.

Having said that. Im desperate to breast feed my baby this time around and ill be mentioning pcos possibly causing lower supply to my lactation consultant so we can address the situation should it arise.

Hi ladies,

We lost our first at full term, so when number 2 came along, I was determined to BF. It was excruciating, feeding every 2hrs for 1.5hrs (so only .5 hr breaks) and was starting to effect my bonding with my little guy. He was never satisfied either, but I kept being told to persist. I then expressed for 10 weeks - every 3 hrs, but I spent all my time expressing, washing bottles, etc and not with my bub. The day I had to give him formula to comp feed, I cried and my hubby said this:
"Why are you crying?"
"Because it's my job to provide for him and I'm not"
"Did you go to the store and buy formula for him? Is he hungry? Then I'd say you're providing for him".

We now have our 3rd and I gave BF a go, it was just as awful. I persisted for 3 weeks and was told to go longer, but I don't live anywhere near my family and hubby couldn't take time off work so I had little support. My active toddler (they're 17 months apart) couldn't understand why I couldn't play with him any more. Expressing was out of the question. She is now also on formula and thriving, just like my boy.

So def give it a go, but don't beat yourself up if it doesn't work out. If you want to help boost your supply, try Weleda nursing tea. It helped with my little guy. Just remember, as long as your baby isn't hungry and can be settled and you can be stress free, what could be better? Do what works for your family. A benefit of being on the bottle for us was that hubby could help with feeds and they could bond like I got to.

Best of luck with the rest of your preg!

I tried really hard for two weeks straight with my first and she wasnt putting on the weight, i was always needing to top her up... I cant remember what they called it, however with my son (baby number 2) he is entirely breastfed, will be 6 months in a couple weeks and he is very BIG and healthy for his age... your body may react differently with different babies and doing it the second time can also help you prepare for extra assistance if you want to try and breastfeed again... Wish you the best of luck xoxo

Firstly, I don't have PCOS but I can relate to problems breastfeeding.

My first baby I was so determined that I was going to breastfeed her but had no idea just how hard it was going to be. I had cracked nipples from the get go and couldn't get much help from anyone in the hospital as I'd had a shocking birth (4th degree tear) and couldn't even sit smile So I perservered at home for 3 weeks feeding laying down and using nipple sheilds with bad attachment and nipples that wouldn't heal until the end of the 3rd week when I got thrush on my nipples and really bad mastitis in both breasts. I followed the advice of a lactation consultant and expressed for my daughter for a week so my poor boobs could heal but then couldn't get her back on. She would scream everytime I tried and then of course I would burst into tears! I ended up expressing for her for 7 months.

Fast forward 20 months to my second baby and I was even more determined that I would be able to breastfeed her and wouldn't have the same problems as last time. Well, wouldn't you know it I had ALL the same problems smile
Cracked nipples, had to use nipple sheilds and mastitis before I'd even left the bloody hospital! At least I'd had a c-section this time so I could sit on my bum smile

Anyway, even though I had all the same problems with feeding my resolve was somehow stronger and after about 5 weeks I was feeding her with minimal pain and no shields and now 6 months later I could breastfeed standing on my head. Mind over matter smile

Good luck

Breastfeeding is difficult for all first time mums - I don't know anyone who didn't find it difficult!

There are various problems that can be caused by various things. pcos wont neccesarily BE the cause of your problems, because there are women out there who have the same problem, and don't have pcos.

The best thing anyone ever told me was that the first 6 weeks are the hardest, and if you can stick it out for 6 weeks you'll feed for as long as you like.

I really struggled, I cried, I wanted to throw it in, I had cracked and bleeding nipples... my toes would curl from the pain every time she latched on. Every time feed time was coming up I'd almost hyperventilate and have to build up the courage to put her back on. But I did it.

And yes, at 6 weeks, I noticed that it had been slowly getting a whole lot easier. A couple more weeks after that and I was a pro, it didn't hurt, and the world was all good in terms of breastfeeding. My dd was bf til 13 months old, and in that time I had pressure from all my family to give up and give her formula.

Of course there's nothing wrong with going to formula if you can't do it. I guess what I'm saying is that when it's not going right, if you really want to do it - you have to persist beyond what you think you're capable of.

The thing is, not only do you need to learn how to breastfeed, but so does your baby. As time goes by, baby learns what feels right, and what gets results - and by a few months old will start to do it without your guidance. By the time my baby was 6 months old I could literally stick my boob near her head and she'd just jump on.

I'm going to bf this time round too, and I'm HOPING it'll be a little easier in that I know what the correct attachment is.

My tips for successful breastfeeding are:

-Use Lasinoh cream after every feed, right from the start. Don't wait til you're sore to use it. Prevention is best!

-If baby doesn't feel like she is attached right, she's not. Take her off and start again even if you have a midwife (or somebody) telling you different. You are the only one that can FEEL what's going on!

-As soon as you start to get sore, alternate your feeds using a nipple shield. As in... use the sheild for 2 feeds (left and right breasts), then feed without the shields the next time. My dd did not get 'nipple confusion' if there is such a thing and it saved my breasts and my sanity.

-If it is all to much to bear, express the feed and give it in a bottle. This alternative stopped me from giving up altogether.

-If this is your first child RESEARCH CORRECT ATTACHMENT methods. I didn't do this and I should have! There are some techniques; nipple to nose, babys lips are turned outwards like a rosebud, baby has a big mouthful of breast.

-To take baby off the breast, never just pull them off. It hurts! Put your little finger into the corner of babys mouth to break the suction and she will naturally just come away from the breast.


And remember.... whatever way you choose to get the milk into the baby is a success!!! I have a friend who no longer breastfeeds as such, but expresses every feed for her baby and gives it in a bottle. It's extra work for her but it was the only way she could make it happen due to her having extremely flat nipples.

Thank you so much to everyone who replied. I am certainly armed with a lot more information this time around and I feel a lot stronger.

You all have helped me feel that which ever method I choose I do not need to feel guilty or pressured into, so thank you for that smile

I to have been having trouble as a first time Mum to BF. I couldn't get a good attachment while in hospital, but got very damaged nipples and learnt to be terrified of feeding my DS as it hurts so much. Now I am expressing his feeds and trying every few days with a nipple shield to feed him. Although I think I might need to get ongoing help from a lactation consultant. I stuck my finger in DS mouth today to soothe him as his bottle was still being prepared (my his Dad, who loves being able to feed him to). And I had such a lightbulb moment understanding why I got so much damage and some of the feeding issues for my DS. He doesn't draw anything into his mouth, he literally sucks through almost clenched jaws.
Looking at him, lips curled back, strong jaw motion etc, he looks like he has it right, but he is chewing on everything.
No wonder he gets frustrated with trying the sheild and why he loves the ease of the bottle. The milk let down takes too long for him.
I see here that others have perservered and finally got it and I will to with help. I'll update you all in a few weeks time.

The message should be while Breast MILK is best, the goal is a happy and fed baby, with a happy mum. Feeding is not about the delivery method.